Stubborn (Part One)

Heila's concentration on her snow cloud spell shattered when Ignatious's deeply anguished howl of pain split the night. Fat, fluffy snowflakes still hung in the air, drifting slowly toward the ground but the barrage of snowballs ceased as she turned her attention to the injured vampire. 

Pale yellowish-gold flames ran along the length of the blade, turning a darker reddish-orange where they spilled from the hilt of the sword onto the former Inquisitor's charred and blackened hands. Already, the flesh on the backs of his hands and a few of his fingers had begun to crack and split, revealing pale white bone and tendon beneath the charred and blackened skin.